NC masonry students sweep
national SkillsUSA competition as
others win state-level recognition
North Carolina Construction News staff writer
North Carolina had a sweep at the
national SkillsUSA masonry competi-
tion in June in Louisville KY, winning
both the secondary and post-sec-
ondary contests.

Ashton White, representing West
Rowan High School, won the post-
secondary division, one of the first
women to ever win a national Skill-
sUSA masonry event, reports Ryan
Shaver workforce development and
training coordinator for the North
Carolina Masonry Contractors Asso-
ciation (NCMCA).

Mason Saunders of Mount Pleas-
ant High School won the high school
event. With Ashton and Mason's wins,
North Carolina's SkillsUSA Masonry
medal count now stands 36 Gold, 15
Silver, and two Bronze.

Among attendees at the SkillsUSA
Mason Saunders of Mount
Pleasant High School and
Ashton White representing
West Rowan High School
won the post-secondary
division in the high school
event. 10 — Summer 2018 — The North Carolina Construction News
The final stages of the SillsUSA masonry competition
National Conference were Shaver,
who serves as national chairman for
the masonry contest, NCMCA presi-
dent Kent Huntley, Metrolina Chapter
vice-president Greg Huntley, West
Rowan High School masonry instruc-
tor Rodney Harrington, Mount Pleas-
ant High School masonry instructor
Cody Alward, Daniel Furr of Carolina
Stalite, and Todd Hartsell of Central
Cabarrus High School, who serves as
masonry expert for the USA World-
Skills masonry team.

Christadore Cole of Connecticut
finished in second and Rains Cole of
Arizona finished third in the second-
ary division. Dean Bryce of Pennsyl-
vania finished in second and Jake
Freeman of Alabama finished third in
the post-secondary division.

Earlier, in Charlotte, a Huntley
Brothers Company apprentice won
the North Carolina Masonry Contrac-
tors Association (NCMCA) Annual
Samuel A. McGee Masonry Appren-
tice Skills Contest.

Eighteen-year-old Jamison “JK”
Huntley defended his 2017 champi-
onship by repeating in 2018, taking
home the "David R. Sigmon Award"
for first place in a field of thirty-eight
contestants from nine NCMCA mem-
ber companies.




Adams, an Oldcastle company,
co-hosted the May 19 event with
NCMCA’s Charlotte Metrolina Chap-
ter. The new champion is the son of
Maria and Tim Huntley of Monroe
and is number five of nine brothers.

JK is the first of the brothers to win
first place in the annual NCMCA con-
test. Now he has done it twice.

JK’s brother Landon is his foreman
at Huntley Brothers Company and fa-
ther Tim says Landon felt like JK
would win, that he is a very good
team player and does a great job.

(Tim added, “I can’t believe Landon
said that about his brother.”)
JK’s masonry instructor was his
great-uncle Sam McGee for whom
the contest is named. Mr. McGee
was a founder of McGee Brothers
Company, a firm based in Charlotte
that is often listed as among the
largest masonry contracting firms in
the country.

McGee, who died in 2015, was
recognized across the country as a
leader and innovator in the industry.

He was inducted into the national
Masonry Hall of Fame in 2014. Jami-
son's was one of the last masonry
classes that Sam ever taught.

Finishing second to fifth place re-
spectively were Coner Hallman,
McGee Brothers Company; Rex Hunt-
ley, Huntley Brothers Company; Zach-
ery McGee, McGee Brothers
Company; and Jesse Baker, Gates
Construction Company. Each contest-
ant had two hours to build a detailed
four-ft. by three-ft. brick and block
panel which was then judged in nine
predetermined categories.

By earning the David R. Sigmon
award for first place, JK won $1,000
cash and a wheelbarrow full of tools.

He also earns the right to represent
North Carolina again at the Mason
Contractors Association of America
(MCAA) International Skills Challenge
this coming January at Las Vegas. He
won that competition in January ear-
lier this year.

The North Carolina Masonry Con-
tractors Association has approxi-
mately 136 member companies
across the Carolinas. NCMCA pro-
motes masonry as a preferred build-
ing system and as a great career
opportunity. Jamieson (“JK”) Huntley (photography by Carl Moser)
Attention General Contractors
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The North Carolina Construction News — Summer 2018 — 11